Lost in the Clouds
by HitchcockPython
Summary: Granny Norma recounts her short-lived romance with the Once-ler. Is it worth trying again? Let's find out.


Lost in the Clouds

By Sophia A. Demetri

Inspired by a quote from Betty White and 2012's The Lorax

I'm Grammy Norma, and when I was young,

I taught skiing and snowboarding so folks could have fun.

At a ski lodge up north is where I instructed

each one of my students and boy did I love it.

Then one day in November, the lodge got new guests.

Some stuffed shirts had come for a conference and rest.

But one of these guests would change me forever,

The President of Thneed Inc. known as the Once-ler.

A nervous wreck that young Once-ler was,

couldn't take any risks all simply because,

If anything happened that set him behind,

He could lose his whole business with one missed deadline.

Then one day he got dared by some really fat cats,

To learn how to ski in my very class.

At first it was great, Once-ler learned very fast.

But it all went downhill when he tripped and then crashed.

After falling five minutes he finally stopped,

He would've been fine, but his head hit a rock.

I managed to get him good medical help,

But while he was gone I just blamed myself.

He came back the next day, still looking quite bruised,

He'd had a concussion, and his ankle broke too.

He was required to rest, but he simply could not,

As of now all his work had piled up a lot.

I found out when I came in to check on the "patient"

And found him a wreck over several bank statements.

"Heavens to Mergatroid" I told the stuffed shirt

"Are you purposely trying to make yourself worse?"

Then he said to me, with tear stained eyes of blue,

"I'm so far behind, what more can I do?"

It didn't take long to see work had consumed him,

As he chose his finances over licking his bruises.

So I picked up that stuffed shirt and put him to bed,

Then helped him catch up with the work he did dread.

Sometime later, when the Once-ler'd recovered,

I left him thinking he couldn't be bothered.

But he popped up again after one of my lessons,

To give me the gloves I had left on his dresser.

After we had a laugh, and I started to flee,

The Once-ler offered to have lunch with me.

Of course I said yes, but we didn't stop there,

After that we had ice cream and got some fresh air.

We went skating and skiing (all accident free)

But soon it was time for the Once-ler to leave.

I wouldn't admit it, but I was quite disheartened,

At the thought of my dear friend's sudden departure.

But just before I could bid him farewell,

He came up and said, "I can't go back by myself."

"Come home with me Norma" he beckoned to me

"I just want to do what you've done for me.

I want to take care of you, and all of your needs.

I can do all of that with my profits from Thneeds."

My heart skipped a beat when he offered me this,

it skipped yet another when he gave me a kiss.

He then said I could stay if that was my decision,

But he would be saddened if I didn't go with him.

In the end though I did end up making a choice,

And went with the Once-ler in his own Rolls-Royce.

So the Once-ler and I left the snowfall and wind,

And made tracks for the valley of which he did live.

A place that was warmer that grew special trees,

That he would cut down to make all his Thneeds.

The Once-ler then showed me the world he called home,

All his family, possessions and creatures who roamed.

Right then and there I knew where I belonged.

But time she does change, and I was proved wrong.

As the dates rolled on by, my man he did change,

As he kept on going with the big business game.

He biggered his business and methods of practice,

While filling his world with pollution and axes.

I tried best to ignore my beloved friend's sins,

And I did until I was polluted within.

It started quite minor when my hair had gone flat,

Three days later I spent the whole day on my back.

Then migraines and coughing reflected my health,

And the mirror confirmed that I wasn't myself.

One night or morning (couldn't tell by the sky)

I looked out the window and saw a weird guy.

Though you really couldn't call him a guy you see,

He was more of a thing, of unknown species.

With nothing to lose I let in the creature

Who was quick in condemning my sickening features.

"You look like you just took a dirtnap" he said.

"And that's not because of the mudbath you had.

Your health and this world is falling apart

For something you call 'affairs of the heart'."

"I'm fine" I protested "It must be a bug."

He replied, "Then the cause is what you think is love."

Now that part upset me, it got me inside;

Then I thought to myself, "Would he care if I died?

Would that hot businessman who livened my life,

Bat an eyelash if it had been cut short tonight?"

And that's when it hit me like a whole ton of bricks,

The realization that we'd already split,

Once-ler hadn't been near me since I had been sick.

He truly did love his job more than me,

And I said to the creature, "I see what you mean."

"My boyfriend seemed flawless, but now that he's grown,

The one person that man cares about is his own."

"I'm glad you can see that" the thing said with love.

"But what are you going to do for your lungs?"

"It's not gonna be easy" I said to the thing,

"But all I can do is pack up my things,

And see if I can't nurse myself back to health,

And take leave of this man who's obsessed with his wealth."

"Then you're going to be fine kid" the thing said at last.

Then he went out the window and was gone in a flash.

The following day I had packed everything

And left the young Once-ler with only his greed.

Soon after the madness of losing old love,

I regained my health in a place quite far off

From the land that was riddled with poison and smog,

And started a family with my husband, Bob.

Through all of those years I've had no regrets

Except for my old love that met certain death.

Now back in the present, my old flame was redeemed

When my grandson, Ted saved the last of the trees.

Now you've probably wondered now that things have changed,

If I'd ever go back to old "What's-his-name."

To be honest, I will, I'm not getting much younger,

And now that my husband has gone 6 feet under,

I've decided to visit my old former flame,

(though I hope he at least can remember my name).

I'm now at his house, and I've just rang the bell

And the Once-ler's just answered and now I can tell

That he's not the same guy that I left to his greed,

And I asked the old man if he recognized me.

He paused for a minute then gave me a hug,

It felt like it did back when we were in love.

But before every bone that I had could be crushed

He said he "never forgot" cause he missed me "so much."

THE END


End file.
